In Her Darkest Hour
by Die Schreiberin
Summary: FTL- Once again silence reigned in the room until the woman spoke, "This woman," she meant Regina, "will be a great queen, but she will go through many hardships. She will live for a time as two beings. She shall give her heart away to someone who does not appear as what they appear. There will be loss and there will be triumphs. In her darkest hour her Savior will come."
1. Prologue

A/N: to those who are waiting for updates for The Change, don't worry I haven't given up, I'm just in a fairy tale mood at the moment.

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**In Her Darkest Hour**

I don't own Once Upon a Time or the story idea. I just wanted to mix things up and add my own twists and turns.

Once upon a time…

In the kingdom of Summerland lived a king named Henry, who was married to a beautiful woman named Cora. Together they had a daughter named Regina, who was the fairest in all of the realms. Both Henry and Cora loved Regina with all of their hearts and went out of their way to give her what her heart desired most. However, Regina was a virtuous child, who never wanted for much. She had her parents' love and to her that was the greatest of gifts. The only thing she really sought after was horse riding lessons for she loved horses with all of her heart. Her parents always indulging her granted her this one wish.

Apart from her love of horseback riding, Regina was very busy with learning states craft as she was the only heir to the Summerland kingdom. She was raised to one day rule her country. Her father taught her how to love and respect her subjects and from her mother she studied how to be firm and unwavering. In this way she was taught how to be both a mother and a father to her people.

When she was eight, she suffered a tragedy that cut short her time as a child. She lost her father in a great battle with the people of the east. From all eye witness accounts, his body was completely destroyed by a powerful wave of magic save for only his left hand and right ear. These two remaining body parts were shipped back to Regina and her mother. Together they put the remains in a box to be placed in the royal family tomb.

Since the death of her father, Regina's mother had to step in as regent until Regina became of age. However, her mother had made sure that Regina would be in court from time to time to listen to plights of her people so she could see the woes of her kingdom and learn how to help solve them.

When Regina reached the age of twelve, her mother granted her permission to seek out a lady-in-waiting to help tend to her needs. In the course of many interviews in the guise of tea parties and being introduced to many women the ranged from her age and older, Regina finally settled on a girl about four years her senior by the name of Maleficent. They took to each other like a fish to water. Being with Maleficent sparked a streak of adventure in Regina as she strived to discover new things. Sometimes this would cause her get in trouble with her mother. She both cared and not cared. She hated to disappoint her mother, but she also loved her independence. Running a kingdom was something she knew she would have to do eventually and she loved being in court, but at times she just wanted to escape the confines of her duties and just be herself. She mostly found this sense of freedom on the back of a horse. Luckily for her, her lady-in-waiting also enjoyed the pleasures of riding horseback so the two fast friends could often escape together for a daily adventure.

Their exploits on horseback mostly took them into the enchanted forest as they searched for magical creatures or places. In their hunt to observe magical things, Regina was rather amused by Maleficent's unceasing desire to see a unicorn. Regina on the other hand enjoyed looking for fairies. Due to their desires to learn about magic, both of them studied up on different magical beings, plants, and locations as extensively as they could within the confines of what the Library in Summerland's castle could offer. When they discovered something interesting in a book, they would go out to see if they could find it.

One day when Regina was at the age of fourteen, she and Maleficent were in the Enchanted Forest looking for some wolfsbane. During their search, they came across a fairly large cabin that they had never seen before. Curious, Regina approached the cabin knocked on the door. In part, she wanted to know who was behind the door, but she also wanted to know if the people who lived there knew where she could find what she was looking for.

The door opened and Maleficent's life would ever be changed. For standing there in the doorway was the most beautiful young maiden the she had ever seen. She was merely ten but she was as beautiful as any rose. She was intrinsically drawn to the maiden but she had no idea why. For she usually found those much younger than herself to be constant brats and had little patience for them; Regina was an exception to the rule because they were kindred spirits.

The young maiden invited them in and offered them refreshments from their journeys. They accepted the offer with their thanks. As she went about fixing them something, three women dressed in varies colors from green, blue and red approached the pair and greeted them with obvious suspicion, much to Regina's great annoyance. If anything she wanted these women's trust not for her own gain but because a sign of a good ruler is someone who has the trust of others.

Gaining their confidence meant giving her trust to them. This choice was easy for Regina make because of what she observed as she watched them interact with the young maiden. They would often lovingly glance over to where the young maiden ran off to every now and again. The conviction that she had about these ladies lead her to decide to entrust her personal quest to them. She told them who she was and what she was looking for, and they gladly told her what she needed to know. Regina thanked them and then asked if she could come by and see them again. The three women weren't pleased by this and Regina had sensed this. A feeling in her gut told her that these women were in hiding. Relying on her instincts, Regina told the three women that she would not betray them and that their secret was safe with her because she offered her word as the future ruler of the Summerland.

It took a promise of the same from Maleficent in order for the three women to open up. It turned out that they were fairies much to Regina's joy. She wanted to learn more about them but refrained from asking a bunch of questions right then so she could get their full story as to how they came to live in the cabin in the woods. After revealing themselves to be fairies, they went on to say that they were originally from Autumnland about ten years ago. Regina tried to rack her brain to see if she recalled any news from the Autumnland kingdom from ten years ago, but alas she was just too young. All she knew of the land of the west was the fact the king and queen were very fearful people for some reason and had a hate for spindles. They were forever trading with the neighboring kingdoms for cloth to clothe their people.

However, as the fairies went on with their story, Regina began to understand where the fear came from. Apparently the king and queen held a celebration for the birth of their only daughter, Aurora, who was a miracle. For the king and queen had tried so hard for many years to conceive a child. They had invited those of both royal and common blood as well as the fairies from all over. At the end of the fairies' gift giving, an unexpected visitor poofed in by the name of Rumpelstiltskin. He said he felt slighted at not getting an invite, but really he could have cared less. His main goal was just to cause mischief and he did. Just because he could, he placed a curse on Aurora that on her sixteenth birthday she would prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die. Unfortunately, every fairy in the realm had already given their gifts and couldn't undo what Rumpelstiltskin has done. Seeing as they had time, the king and queen ordered all the spinning wheels to be destroyed in the kingdom and that their daughter be kept in hiding until after her sixteenth birthday.

At this time in the tale, the young maiden came in from gathering some berries and sat among the older women, who thanked the girl they called Briar Rose. She smiled at them and left to get herself cleaned up. A silence fell on all five women until the fairy in green mentioned how they have been guarding the princess ever since. At this point, Maleficent had heard enough because it pained her heart for some unknown reason to hear of the young blonde's plight. After much thinking on her part, Maleficent stood from her chair and demanded to be taught the ways of fairy magic.

The three fairies looked at her as if she had grown horns from her head because a mere human could not harness or understand the powers of the fairy. However, Maleficent would not be deterred. Upon sitting back in her seat, she had explained how she had fairy blood in her ancestry from her grandmother, who was a fallen fairy. Her grandmother had dared to fall in love with a human and forgo her life as a fairy. Although she was fallen, she still maintained some of her magical powers.

Shock came to Regina as she heard her friend's confession. Although, she felt some anger at the secret her friend had kept from her, she still had awe for her. On the other hand Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather were hesitant to accept the confession because a fallen fairy and her off springs were held with some condemnation because a fairy had duties to fulfill and falling in love was not in the picture. Yet these fairies thought on their younger sister Astrid, who had fallen in love with a dwarf of all things. They had never seen such a heartbroken fairy and blamed the Blue Fairy for the distress she caused their sister. From that day on they viewed the ideals of the fairy differently. They were supposed to be supporters of true love, but they could never partake in it themselves or even embrace the concept. How were they to understand and encourage true love when they could not have it or experience it for themselves?

They thought on their young charge. The Blue fairy was not pleased to have three of her finest fairies out of commission for sixteen years so they could focus on one single child. There were many other children and pure souls in the world that needed fairy help. In the end, she did relent knowing the dark powers Rumpelstilskin held and how important the young girl was for the kingdom of Autumnland.

After a silent deliberation, the three fairies asked why Maleficent wanted to learn magic. To this Maleficent said she wanted to help in protecting Briar Rose. She figured that if she learned fairy magic, and learned it well, she could perhaps undo a little of the curse Rumpelstiltskin had placed upon the child. At this the three fairies wanted to know what the woman had in mind. Maleficent said that she would have Aurora sleep instead of dying upon touching a spindle and that she would only be awoken by true love's kiss.

Upon hearing this, the three fairies agreed. Regina felt like an outsider then. She asked if she could be taught magic too. There was no fairy magic in her that she knew of, but she wanted to learn the basics that even humans could do. Maleficent argued on her behalf and the fairies agreed yet again because Regina showed much virtue.

And so it was that Regina began her magical training on top of her other duties. For three years Regina and Maleficent went to the cabin in the woods and was taught magic. Regina learned many healing technics from herbs and magic once she found her own kind. It took a while for her power to be unleashed and Regina feared that she didn't have any. However, it didn't come to her until she felt the need to protect something. It took Maleficent threatening her beloved horse with slaughter for her magic to appear. Her lady-in-waiting was quite pleased at her friend.

As for Maleficent, she found her magic much quicker than Regina's. Due her determination to protect the young maiden from certain doom, she was able to hone her magic very quickly. During the days where she would practice magic, she would get to know the girl she was trying to save. They didn't talk much, but when they did, Briar Rose was filled with so many questions for Maleficent, and she gladly answered every single one. Apart from their conversations, Maleficent loved to watch the girl sing and dance for her. All the while she could not understand the fascination she had with the girl. She mostly chalked it up to some gift a fairy must have placed on the girl when she was younger. Whatever connection she had with the girl, she didn't care.

It was a little over three years of training that Maleficent was able to place her remedy gift on Briar Rose upon her birthday. After the spell was successfully placed, every occupant in the cabin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Regina seemed so much more hopeful for the future than she once was. Seeing this brought her a certain calm. She knew that in less than a year she would take over for her mother in ruling the land. Although it was a burden to her, she willing accepted it. She was also grateful to her mother, who had assisted her thus far and will continue to as an adviser until she turns twenty-one to make the transition easier for everyone.

She took a step out from the cabin in the woods and took a short walk to a clearing. Inhaling the sweet and intoxicating smell of the forest, she never felt more content and excited for the future. All she saw was blue skies.


	2. The Golden Chain

**A/N: I'm kind of sad at the response of this story when I posted it. I wasn't sure if I should take it down or not or kept going. But thanks to those who have favored this story thank-you. You give my the courage to keep going.**

**I mentioned how Cora and Maleficent are going to be OOC. I mean they're just going to be nicer, but I'll try to capture them if they were good or just plain normal. For Regina, she may seem OOC, but I just want to put out that the Regina of this story would be how I view what Regina would have been like in the show if Daniel did not die.**

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The thrill of excitement filled the air. Regina could just feel it from the tips of her fingers and toes and all to her heart. There was a smile on her face as she toured her way through her castle. Everything seemed to be going perfect today. She had gotten up extra early with Maleficent and rode to Briar Rose's cabin for an early bird birthday breakfast just for her. There was laughter and glee in that cabin and it helped make Regina's day in more ways than one. She loved being with her friends, but she was sad today because she wished her father was still alive and well. Her thoughts wouldn't have turned to him on this day, but he was there due to what tomorrow would bring, her coronation. To say that she was thrilled with the prospect of finally taking her rightful would be an overstatement. She didn't want to take up the throne, but she knew it what was best for her kingdom. If there was one thing her mother drilled in her it was that she was born with privilege and that come certain obligations.

She shook her head at this thought as she weaved her wave through the castle servants who were busying about with the final birthday preparations for the grand ball that was to be held that evening in her honor. She knew some of the expectations that would come from the ball. Namely, it was a chance to get to know the noblemen of the court and surrounding kingdoms for suitor purposes. Up until this point, Regina was quite thankful to her mother, who never pushed her to get married. In the balls prior to this one, she had met her would be suitors, but she never quite found what she was looking for, not in personality or in attraction. Often times she wondered if there was something wrong with her. She confided this to Maleficent, and the blond said that perhaps her heart was not ready for love yet. Whatever the case maybe, Regina didn't let it get to her because she knew that she wasn't alone.

It wasn't long until she approached her mother's chambers. She knocked on the thick door with the door knocker. It only took a moment for her to hear a faint voice telling her to come in. One of the guards stationed nearby opened one of the double doors. Regina nodded her thanks to the guard and strolled in the living chamber of her mothers.

Upon entering the chamber, she looked around for her mother. Her eyes finally landed on the woman, who was standing near the window. Regina noticed that her mother seemed to have a distant look in her eyes as if her mind was heavily pondering about the state of the world. By her mother's expression, Regina guessed her mother wished to discuss with her something of great important.

Reverently, Regina approached her mother by the window, "Penny for your thoughts?"

Cora quirked up half in mouth in a half smile, "No, dear, my thoughts are priceless."

Regina laughed a little and leaned her back against the frame of the window, "You wished to speak to me?"

Cora turned her head from the window to look at her daughter. Again she gave a half smile. Regina looked at her mother and realized that her eyes shown worry, sadness and love. How a person's eyes can say so much is besides her.

There was a moments silence before Cora spoke up, "I wanted to spend a little time with you before the ball."

Taking in a breath Regina braved herself for what this visit meant. In honesty, she knew what to expect her mother to say or advise her on. "Is there a special duty that I must perform tonight?" she asked.

Giving a slight laugh, Cora said, "And what duty would I have you perform?"

Regina paused for a moment to consider her answer, "The duty of finding someone to marry."

At this Cora laughed harder than before, "Oh dear, I would like to see you married, but to press upon you to find a spouse in just this one evening is too much pressure. Although, I will advise you to pay attention to potential suitors and be mindful on who would be able to live up to standards that your father and I have instilled in the kingdom. I do not want you to marry someone who would want to usurp your power right from under you. You must choose wisely for the best of the kingdom."

"What about my heart?" Regina asked.

Cora sighed and moved away from the window. "Walk me, Regina," she bade as she made her way to a couch. She sat down and Regina followed. She looked at her daughter as if trying to come up with the right words. "I think you're old enough to know about your father and me."

The newly eighteen years olds eyes grew wide with trepidation. Angst settle on her heart about what information that was going to come forth because she didn't know if she could handle her world being turned upside down with a new outlook on reality. She never realized that there was another truth to her parents' marriage. "What about you two?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose for a moment, Cora braced herself to deliver the punch, "I want you to know that I loved your father, but I was not in love him."

This news was slightly troubling to Regina. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. She just cocked her head to the side with confused eyes and asked, "Then how come you married him?"

"He was my best friend," she declared with a sadness in her. "As you know, I was born to a lord who oversaw the kingdom's mills. My father and his were great friends. Often times your father and I would end up being around each other. As I grew older, I assumed that it was a ploy on my father's part to get me to marry Henry and become queen. However, it was not until much later I learned it was not until my wedding announcement that I learned it was not the case. My father wanted me to marry who I wanted."

"Did father press you into marrying him?" Regina asked.

Cora shook her head, "No, it was a mutual thing. Henry was in need of a wife. Someone, who he could trust, unfortunately, your father was rather shy around other women. He viewed me as a sister because we grew up together, but to him women were just a foreign land. He also had trouble finding the right one. He courted many different women, but he never found the one that felt right to him."

"What made him choose you?"

"I suggested the arrangement against…" She paused and shook away what she going to say. "He came to me after a discussion with his father. The king was ailing and wished to have his son crowned before he left the world. He told him that before he took the crown that he must marry someone so he didn't have to do things alone. Unfortunately, he had no prospects and time was running out. Feeling sorry for my friend's plight, I suggested a union between us."

Regina could hear a sound of regret coming from her mother. It took her a moment to catch on to why her mother might have regretted marrying her father. "Were you in love with someone else?"

Fast as a lightning strike, Cora whipped her head to look in her daughter's eyes. They told the younger woman the truth. Her mother had been in love at the time and by the looks of it she still was. "I used to call him, Rumpel. When I was ten, he used to be a third party to your father and me. He was not of noble birth, but he had a noble heart. He used to work on my father's lands. We first met at a market. He was selling woolen yarn, and my nurse was buying. We connected nicely and soon became close friends. When I introduced him to Henry, he accepted him with opened arms and asked him if he wanted to work in the palace for better wages. He declined his offer because he had to be there for his mother since his father ran off on them. Henry appreciated Rumpel's sacrifice and vowed to buy everything from his hands at twice the price. I grew to love him and his kind soft heart. I had my first kiss with him and I thought it would be grand to run away with him and get married."

Cora's eyes filled with tears of regret, "I told him about how I wanted to be with him. He seemed to want to same things as me. Shortly after my confession, I found out that he drunkenly had been with another woman, who became pregnant with his child. Due to the laws of the land, and his kind heart because her could not abandon his child, he married her. I was left heartbroken and never heard from him again. A few years later, I married your father."

Regina moved closer to her mother and draped an arm around her shoulders, "I'm so sorry for your loss. How did daddy take you being in love with him?"

"Your father was okay with it. I told him that Rumpel was my one true love, but after everything… I vowed that I would not fall in love again and be made a fool out of. Your father accepted this. He was a very kind man. When we were intimate, he was quite gentle, but he never demanded intimate favors from me just because he could. He wanted me to be as free as I want. As far as I knew, neither he nor I ever took on another lover. Although he said if I wanted, I could. However, ruling a kingdom and having you as my daughter was enough for me."

At that Regina smiled brightly, "Thank-you."

"No, thank-you," Cora said as she stood up to walked towards a table that had a box on it while Regina remain seated. "Since it's your eighteen birthday and you're about to become queen, it's about time I give you something that your father wanted me to give you." She brought the box over and set it on Regina's lap.

Regina looked to her mother and asked her with her eyes to open the box. The older woman just nudged her with her head to do so. Holding her breath, Regina placed her hands on the box and unlatched the clasp. Lifting the lid, her breath caught as she beheld a thick, long golden chain. "It's beautiful."

"It was your great, great, great grandmother's," Cora explained. "It was passed down from one generation to another with the instruction that it should be given to one's true love. Since neither Henry nor I believed in such a notion, he never gave it me to wear. However, he had hoped that you would be different story."

Looking up from the chain, Regina studied her mother for a moment, "Do you share in daddy's belief that I'll find my true love?"

Cora sat there in silence for a moment, "I told you my tale of unrequited love as a caution to you. I don't want you to fall in love with just anyone. They must be good for you and they must be good for the kingdom."

"I know that mother, but what of true love. What if my true love is a tyrant or I end up like you?"

"I was naïve as a child thinking true love existed for me. I had seen it with my parents and I thought I knew how it worked."

"In what way?" asked Regina. She wanted to know as much about this topic as possible from all perspectives so she would be able to arm herself for anything.

"It is said that true love conquers all and that no matter what happens true love will find a way. I also thought that when two true loves meet that they would be faithful to each other no matter the circumstances. However, I was wrong when I thought of Rumpel as my true love. From him, my beliefs went out the window. That's why you must be careful. Love can make a person do crazy things. You stop listening to your head. It takes both heart and mind to run a kingdom. If you're only listening to one, then it will bring only disaster to this land."

"Are you saying love is a weakness?" asked Regina.

"I'm saying it can be. That's why, I've never pushed you marry anyone. You will become a queen tomorrow. I rather see you as an unmarried and childless sovereign for the rest of your life, than see this kingdom crumble because you chose foolishly in your spouse."

"I'll keep that in mind," Regina smiled. She always found her mother full of sound words of wisdom.

Cora merely nodded and gestured to take the box from Regina. Reluctantly, Regina handed the box over and watched as her mother took the chain out. "Bend your head."

Regina did and felt the heaviness of the chain. "Thank-you."

Cora smiled, "Happy Birthday and may you find someone to give this chain to."

A bright smile lit up Regina's face, "I will."

There was a moment of comfortable silence between the two before Cora ushered Regina out to get ready for the ball.


	3. Coronation

**A/N: I would like to begin by saying, I think I got all the kinks out for establishing this story. Meaning, I put on a new title and gave a new summary. Thanks to sound advise from Asher77. I also changed the rating to M because of the borderline premise of this chapter. I rather be safer than sorry.**

**If you read last chapter about a possible contest, I decided against it now so it's no longer an issue in the last chapter. I deleted the challenge. However, I did get a response for a story summary. Unfortunately, I can't use it because it does not quite fit, but I will put it in this author note for people to read and I will write the person into the story as promised.  
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**From jessievamp06: _The days counted down to the coronation of queen Regina, with the wisdom of her mother and the help of friends she would make a great queen but when she gives her heart to someone who is not what they seem, who will save her in her Darkest Hour._**

**Thank-you**

**I know a lot you are wondering when Emma is going to show up. It won't be for a couple more chapters. If anyone read the novel _Wicked, _it took a while for Galinda to appear. McGuire had to get through Elphaba's childhood before sending her off to Shiz. Besides, this story focuses on more then just Emma and Regina. Since the majority of the story is based off another story (actually there are three plot lines running in this story, sort of like _Into the Woods)_, I had to explain why Regina ends up like she does when she meets Emma for the first time. Please just be patient, I'm getting there. Until then just enjoy the Sleeping Beauty portion of the story for now.**

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The ball went off without a hitch. The food and music were excellent. There was no altercations among the guests as they were too busy dancing and having a good time. Regina enjoyed it all.

Before the ball, she had gone to Cora and Maleficent to seek for their advice on potential candidates for suitors. They had come up with a list of names that may hold interest to Regina and advised her to get to know them some degree while at the ball and determine if she clicked with any of them.

By the end of the ball, she had scratched off quite a few names off of the list. However, this didn't disappoint her since wasn't truly looking for someone. She just wanted to get in the habit of seeking out a companion. She also wanted to see if she could open herself up to the idea of romance and love. So far, she still felt she wasn't ready or that it wasn't her time yet. Until she felt as if it was time to find the one, she would just pretend to be interested in the courting game.

After the ball, she went to bed.

Upon the next morning, she was awoken by the coronation party, who would be in charge of getting her through the day. The coronation was actually a lengthy process that was passed down through the generations. The first thing Regina did after waking up was to be stripped down to just her bare skin. The head of the coronation party beckoned Regina to follow her out of her chambers and into the halls just as naked as the day she was born. The idea of this act was show the people her willingness to endure humiliation, that she was fearless and that she had nothing to hide.

She walked through the corridors with her head held high as she was being flanked by five members of the coronation party. One of which was her lady-in-waiting, Maleficent. She was chosen to be a silent companion, a familiar, to Regina as she helped her through all the steps of the coronation process.

On she walked as she felt the eyes of her subject fall upon her. She heard whispers spread from one person to the next, but she never heard what the whispers were. Although she feared on what her subjects were saying, she still wanted to know. A part of her wondered if they were discussing about how she looked. She felt self-conscious, but she felt too afraid to show it. Instead she marched on through the halls and into the court yard as she made her way to the sacred washing house.

When she entered the house, she immediately felt confined from thickness of the steam of the room. As she started to feel her skin sweat, a firm hand took hers. She looked to her right and found a stoic Maleficent looking towards the in-ground tub that was filled the brim of hot water. Surrounding the tub were more members of the coronation party. The blonde led Regina over to the steps leading down into the water and stopped. Still looking forward and away from Regina, Maleficent removed her white coronation robe that every member of the coronation cabal had to wear. She now stood naked and proud as she handed her robe off to another member of the party.

Once again, Maleficent took hold of Regina's right hand and together they walked into the heat of the water. They stopped in the middle of the tub which only came up to their bottom breast line. Regina stayed still as Maleficent cupped her hands in the water and brought the water up to cleanse away Regina's body. As Regina felt the warm water sooth her she heard the quiet chanting of the cleansing prayer coming from the rest of the coronation party. The sound was enchanting.

Regina was so enthralled with the chanting and the warm water cascading down over her head, that she didn't notice another member of the coronation party descend into the water with a silver tray that held vials of lavender soaps. The other member just stood there as Maleficent reached for a vial and poured the cold contents over the top of Regina's head. She shivered a moment, but it quickly passed as she felt her lady-in-waiting hands smooth out the soap into her hair and over her body. Up until this point never had her body be felt like this. Despite the warmth of her surroundings, her body quivered at the touch of Maleficent. It was this level of intimacy that Regina had to choose who her companion would be for her journey to the crown. For it took trust between the two to complete it.

She felt Maleficent hands softly caressed her back as she massaged in the soap. Those same hands came to front and massaged her still sensitive breasts. Although she held no romantic feelings for her friend, she couldn't help but find pleasure in being touched so intimately. Once the liquid soap had touch every portion of her exposed skin, Maleficent cupped her hands in the water and rinsed away the soap suds. Getting the water off the skin didn't take nearly as long as getting the soap out of her hair.

Once her top half was clean, Maleficent took a bar of soap and slipped her hands underwater to clean the rest of Regina's body. Regina felt further pleasure at the gentle way in which Maleficent scrubbed at her lovely back side and down her toned legs. For a few moments, Maleficent was submerged into the water to get her ankles and feet. She came back up to catch her breath a few times until her task was complete. She came to the front of Regina and continued to soap away the dirt from her stomach and down towards the front of legs.

Regina felt her breathing getting heavy as the friend started to use the bar of soap in between her legs. Her current state couldn't be helped much due to being intoxicated by the sweet smell of lavender from the soap. She was going mad from the heat, the touches, and the aroma of the sacred bathhouse. She felt like either bursting apart at the seams or just collapsing away. Before she could speak, which she must not do until a crown sat upon her head, and tell Maleficent touch her deeper, the blonde back away from Regina to the woman with the soaps. She placed the remains of the bar on the tray and took a silver goblet that was just retrieved from a coronation member out of the tub. She brought the goblet over to Regina and placed the brim to Regina's mouth. The woman began to drink away at some nice cool wine. After the cup was emptied, Maleficent once again took hold of Regina's right hand and led her out of the tub.

Upon stepping on dry ground, a party member came over with a white robe slung over her arms. Maleficent picked it up and held it open from Regina. Regina stuck her hands in the sleeves and waited until her friend closed the robe and tie it up. In the next moment or two, Maleficent had her robe back on.

After the cleansing, Regina was they led to a chamber not far from the where she just came from. Maleficent walked in with her. The chamber room was small. Upon the walls hung eight candle umbra's that lit the chamber up enough but cast red hues upon the darkened walls. In the center of the room was an altar of sorts and right by the door was a chair. With Maleficent as a guide, Regina walked up to the altar and knelt down. She was left alone, apart from Maleficent sitting on the chair, to ponder on her experience thus far in the coronation process. Her mind also wondered over her past and how her life had brought her up to this point. She thought on the times that she had had so far acted as a leader and her successes and failures.

She prayed, but not to any particular God or Supreme Being. She just prayed about what she was thankful for, she prayed for what she wanted in the future and what she wanted to accomplish in her reign as queen. She desperately sought out guidance for her future plans.

For three hours, she had knelt in humble silence as her mind ran wild. She felt refreshed after her three hour contemplation. Her body was clean as well as her mind. The door to the chamber opened bringing with it the light from the outside. Maleficent came over to Regina and helped her up from her sore legs. Together they left the chamber.

They began their march again to where they went back into the castle and towards another room that was almost the same as the chamber they just left. Only there was a table with a woman sitting behind it and three chairs sitting on the other side. On one of the chairs already sat Cora. Maleficent brought Regina up to the middle chair and she took the one to the right.

The other woman held out her hands towards Regina to take. Silently, Regina placed her hands in the old women's hands. There was silence in the room for a moment. The soon-to-be queen knew what this portion of the coronation process was about. The old woman is a seer of sorts and gave blessings for a successful reign.

Regina looked at the woman with great interest as the other woman looked straight into Regina's soul. She had never felt more scrutinized than at that very moment and that was say something considering who her mother was. She felt a little wiggly, but she never showed it. She tried to keep calm until she heard the oldest woman in front of her speak.

After what seemed like forever and in a crackling voice that only old crone's used, the older woman spoke, "Who brings this woman to me?"

At this Cora spoke on behalf of the lady-in-waiting for she too must live in silence until her lady becomes queen, "Maleficent."

"Who be the speaker of bringer and this woman?"

"I, Cora, Queen of Summerland and Regent of Regina," the queen said.

"What does this woman ask of me?"

"For knowledge of what might be and a blessing."

Once again silence reigned in the room until the woman spoke, "This woman," she meant Regina, "will be a great queen, but she will go through many hardships. She will live for a time as two beings. She shall give her heart away to someone who does not appear as what they seem. There'll be losses, there'll be triumphs, and in her darkest hour her Savior will come."

The old woman stood up and walk behind Regina. She placed her hands on Regina's shoulders and spoke, "I bless you with hope and courage. Let you never be left without them." To seal the blessing, she kissed the top of Regina's head.

After pronouncing a blessing on Regina's head, the old woman went back to her original seat and faced Maleficent. As like she did with Regina, she held out her hands for Maleficent. The blond gingerly took her hands and received an immediate gasp from the old woman.

"Dear daughter, I fear for your future. I see you consumed by a hideous monster and left there broken hearted, but be not despaired. A light will guide you through the darkness and bring you back to peace."

She stood up again and placed her hands on Maleficent shoulders. "I bless you with patience. Let you never be left without it." Again she sat down.

This time it was Cora's turn for future wisdom and her own blessing. The old woman took her hands and fell silent as she closed her eyes as if searching within her for an answer. A minute later, she looked in Cora's eyes for just a moment and spoke, "Your time with your daughter is drawling short. A quest of courage you must take, when the time is right, you shall know. You cannot get back that which you once lost. Your hope lies in the arms of a valiant white Knight."

For the last time in this ceremony, the old woman stood up and walked over to Cora and placed her hands on the queen's shoulders. "I bless you with wisdom. Let it never leave you."

After the old woman sat down, Cora spoke again, "Thank-you, mother for your gentle wisdom. May blessings be upon you."

As one, the three younger women stood up from their chairs. There was no time to discuss what had been said. That would come later as they would discuss only among themselves the things that they heard because no one else could know what was said. For now there were still things to do.

Cora opened the door to the chamber. Maleficent led Regina outside with Cora following right behind them. They went back up to Regina's chamber to change her into her coronation dress for the hour was fast approaching.

Once in the chamber, Cora disrobed Regina as the right of the parental figure to the soon-to-be monarch. The message being that the parental figure has removed the shackles and innocence of childhood from their offspring that they embrace the bands of adulthood and leadership. With robe in hand, Cora left the room to let Regina's lady-in-waiting and the rest of the coronation party dress and groom Regina for the crowning.

As Maleficent helped her with her undergarments, Regina couldn't help but be a little self-conscious and embarrassed at being dressed like a little kid. From the moment she figured out how to cloth herself, she felt accomplished. She no longer needed to have servants dress her, but she could not say the same for her hair. Depending on her mood, she either magically poofed her hair one way or she allowed for a servant to take over. She always found hair care tedious and time wasting. She longed for shorter hair, but her mother wouldn't allow for such impropriety for a female monarch. Sadly, she had let her long hair stay.

It didn't take long for Regina to don on her coronation gown. It was of royal blue velvet with tight corset of white. Once dressed in her gown by her friend, the rest of the coronation party went wild plying on thick layers of make-up and putting all of her long hair in a giant type of bun. It took a while to get all the knots and tangles out of her hair, but eventually they were successful.

Every member of the party stood back to admire the way Regina looked and nodded in approval that she was finished. Upon seeing this, everyone but Maleficent left Regina alone for a moment to catch her bearings. She took a deep breath and stood up from her chair. She went over to her wardrobe and pulled out the gold chain she had received from her mother yesterday. She wanted something of her fathers to wear to the coronation ceremony so she would have him in spirit. She hung it around her neck.

An hour later, Regina was being led once again through the halls with a white train upon her shoulders to the castle towards the outside cathedral. The cathedral had twelve giant columns surrounding what would be the insides of normal cathedral. Except, the seats and the altars and so on were made of enchanted marble so that no greenery or rain would erode away the rock. It was not always used because of there being no roof and sometimes the weather wasn't kind, but today was as clear as clear can be.

As Regina walked down the aisle, towards the altar, alone she saw her people out of the corners of her eye just looking at her. She gulped a few times, but she never lost her composure. For what seem like an eternity to her, Regina finally made it to her destination. She knelt in front of the officiator and was given a scepter. The man was saying words that she did not heard because of the beating of her heart and the nerves she had for finally taking this step. A stray thought entered her mind wondering if this was how it was going to be on her wedding day. Stopping for a second, she realized that this coronation was like a wedding, but it wasn't a marriage between two people. It was a marriage between her and her subjects. The implications were too grand for her, but she was willing to live up to her end of the bargain.

She was so lost in her thoughts, she startled when the weight of her crown rested upon her head. Her eyes shoot up to meet the officiator's, who gestured for her to stand. Once on her feet, she turned towards her people and smiled at them as they hailed her with a chorus of "Long live the Queen."

After an eternity of chatting, the crowd's cheeriness died down to allow for Regina to say a few words as their newly crowned monarch. Before the new queen could give her well prepared speech, her eye caught sight of dark purple smoke surrounding the top of one of the pillars.


	4. The Storm

Anticipation. The outside cathedral was flooded with it. Regina felt eyes on her as their companions, the ears, waited to hear of what Regina would say to them. However, she could not focus on the eyes of her people because the attention she needed in voicing out her well prepared speech was adverted to a different point from where it should be.

Her eyes widen as the strange purple smoke began to dissipate… no, that's the wrong word. How can smoke dissipate into nothingness when it's coalescing into something? It took a moment for her brain to catch up on her magic training to know that the smoke was a sign of incoming, but of what form was still to be determined.

As she watched transfixed, she felt to familiar presence come to her side. She knew who they were without really looking. She felt her mother touch her shoulder and her friend take up her left hand. They were a comfort to her as the anticipation shifted from her and to where she was looking.

It wasn't until all eyes were on the smoke, did it recede into the form of someone clothed in black leathers with a wickedly crazy smile upon his face. However, as soon as he appeared he disappeared, but only to reappear between Regina and her subjects. He grinned maliciously, while gave a mockery of a bow in front of the new queen.

"Long live the queen," he mocked as he stood up again, "dearie."

This time, Regina caught a good look at his face. He was not much to look at. His hair looked oily and matted. His eyes looked crazed. The flesh of his body gleamed with a metallic sheen of gold. Although his face was not aesthetically pleasing, his whole appearance screamed danger.

From the right of her she heard her mother mumble the name "Rumpel" under her breath as her hand squeezed her shoulder. However, she couldn't do much to ease her mother at the moment. She had to stay strong and protect her people even if she was forced to use magic.

"Who are you?" she asked in a strong voice that held no trace of what she was actually feeling.

He gave a little giggle as if excited from being invited to join a game. "My name, dearie, is Rumpelstiltskin."

Regina hitched her breathe. She knew who he was from the fairies in the woods, and she knew that he meant trouble. "We have no quarrel with you, so what brings you to this event?"

"Perhaps, I wanted to wish her majesty a glorious reign and bestow a gift."

Immediately, Regina's left hand began to hurt. Although she wasn't sure if it was because she was squeezing Maleficent's hand or because Maleficent was squeezing hers. She concluded it was both. Worry flooded her body as to what gift Rumpelstiltskin was going to give. Instinct told her run, but she fought it off knowing she could not let that happen. She was not a coward nor did she want her people to believe her so. She remained rooted to the spot.

"Or," he pause for just a second for a dramatic pause, "I came here for repayment."

"We've made no deals with you," Cora said beside her.

As much as she wanted to back her mother up on that comment, she knew better. Between her and Maleficent, they had mentioned to…

Her thoughts were ripped away as she watched Rumpelstiltskin turned his attention to Cora and smiled more wickedly than before, "Oh no, dearie, _you_ haven't made any deals with me and I can agree that your daughter and her lady-in-waiting didn't as well, but due to their meddling's, they have cost me greatly and for that I demand payment."

"What have they done that they owe you?" asked Cora.

"They have been consorting with fairies and hidden princesses."

"There's no crime involved in consorting with fairies or princesses. You have no ground to demand payment," Regina growled.

At this comment, Rumpelstiltskin rushed up into Regina's face, "No, but there is a price for messing up a curse that I had placed on said hidden princess. I was feeling generous and thought about discussing the matter with the girl's parents."

"No, you probably wanted to make a deal with them," spat Maleficent.

Rumpelstiltskin turned his attention on to Maleficent. His gazed held so much malice towards the woman. "Yes, a deal that would assure the princess's survival. However, when I went to discuss matters with them they denied me by telling me the princess was no longer in danger. It took a while for me to find out the reason." He stood back from Maleficent to observe her. She held so much hate towards him that he or anyone who looked at her eyes could see what her feelings towards him were.

He laughed out right, "You love the little girl."

Regina felt her friend's hand tighten her own. She knew of her friend's feelings and she knew that Briar Rose had a crush on the woman. Every time they went over, Briar Rose bound happily out of the cabin and jumped into Maleficent's arms. The girl show much more affection to the blond than she did with her. She wasn't jealous, but merely amused. She loved watching their relationship blossom. Although, she didn't believe in a true love for herself, she was able witness true love form before her. Her heart clenched as she thought about how this was going to interfere with the future. She had seen Briar Rose pricking her finger and be awoken by Maleficent's kiss. She would have made Maleficent a lady by then and made her more of an appropriate choice to be the young girl's suitor, but now…

_WWRD…What would Rumpel do?_

She was broken out of her thoughts by Rumpelstiltskin's next words. "Then my repayment will be more delicious when I curse you to be…" He didn't even finish his sentence as he snapped his fingers.

Loud gasps were heard throughout the whole cathedral. Regina felt herself being pushed towards the floor along with her mother. It took her moment of reorientation to glance to where her friend once stood. Instead there stood a gigantic dragon. Regina looked towards her mother with large peepers. They held a private conversation with their eyes now knowing what the old woman meant when she said that Maleficent would be consumed by a monster. The Maleficent as she knew no longer existed. In her stead was Maleficent the dragon.

Rumpelstiltskin laughed with such giddy glee it made Regina want to puke, "You shall live the rest of your life in this form."

Maleficent gave a heart wrenching cry that spouted liquid flame into the sky. Seeing great sadness come upon her friend, Regina watched as the dragon flapped her wings to fly away into the distance sky towards the enchanted forest. However, the moment didn't last long as her attention was once again on Rumpelstiltskin, who was smiling as if he just won the prize.

She was about to lose her cool and use magic on him, but he stopped her in her tracks. "As for you, dearie, I want you to marry my son, Bealfire."

"Never," she said. "I don't want you or your magic tainting my lands. You shall be banished forever." With that she hit him with the electrical force of her magic.

Rumpelstiltskin started to slowly disappear in the cast of the spell. There was a smile on his face, "This makes you are even more perfect for my son; however, your magic is weak." He snapped his fingers a second time, only it was not to remove the spell from him.

Another loud gasp escaped the people as they watched as their new queen began to contort in some inhumanly manner.

Pain shot through Regina as she felt her bones break and shift. Her skin began to prickle as long hairs grew on her arms. She had to close her eye against the pain she was feeling as she tried to come up with a counter spell to free her from this misery, but the pain was too much. Her legs gave out on her as she collapsed on the ground. Her eyes grew sharper in hearing as the sounds of fabric ripping filled them. Although she was on the ground she felt herself growing taller. With time, the pain grew less intense until it completely stopped.

Regina opened her eyes to see her vision become different. She could no longer see in the same hues as she once did. She frantically glanced around, shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of her new sight. Sadly, it just remained the same. Giving up, she turned her head back over to Rumpelstiltskin, "What have you done to me?" she growled in a low rumble.

The slowly disappearing imp giggled, "Nothing too terribly bad. I just turned you into a black leopard, but don't worry your pretty little head over it. During the day you will look this, but at night, you will return to your human form."

"Turn me back completely," she growled out.

"I don't think so, not unless you marry my son."

Regina had her pride, but she also knew that her people needed her protection. If she had to pay the price of being a black leopard, she will gladly do it just so long as her people lived without fear. "Never," she refused.

"Very well," the creepy imp sounded almost resigned, but it was just an act. "Your little spell won't last on me for too long. I shall be back, but only if you can last fifteen years without someone looking upon your pretty little human face. If that happens then you'll be mine." With those words he left almost in the exact way he came.

With him gone, Regina's noticed her people all standing around and talking to one another as if trying to figure out what to do. For the most part she didn't know what to do. She looked down at her…large black paws and grimaced. She was an animal, but she needed to speak to her subjects. She was able to communicate with Rumpelstiltskin, but he was a magical being and her cast the curse. There was no way of knowing if she could even talk to her people.

Giving it a shot she roared with much fierceness to calm her people down. It worked. Gulping she began to speak, "If you can understand me raise your hands."

The entire gathering held a hand high.

Regina breathed a sigh of relief. "I am sorry for what my past actions have caused us this day, but they were for a noble cause. As I am one for wondering out into the Enchanted Forest, I came across some dire circumstances. A princess was in danger of dying. Between my lady-in-waiting and myself, we made sure to rectify the problem; however," she lifted up a pawed hand, "it backfired. I know not what Rumpelstiltskin has in store for you if I marry his son, but I have no wish to put any you into more danger. If you will still have me, I will continue to try and protect you. Will you be able to live under the rule of a black leopard queen or shall I step down and allow for my mother to once again take the throne?" She knew it was a risky move, but if she planning to live the next fifteen years switching forms, she needed the support of her people or she would just run off into the world as an animal for safe keeping. There's also the fact, she didn't know what to make of her mother at the moment and where her loyalties lie.

From her right, she saw the officiator step forward, "I pledge my allegiance to Queen Regina. She has acted nothing short of virtuous. I would be most willing serve under her."

There was a large cry of acceptance from around her. A tear leaked from her eye. "It is not you, who serve me," she declared. "It is I, who serves you." In a way of animals, she bowed towards her people in reverence of the trust.

Taking advantage of her nose to the ground, she caught the scent of Maleficent. She knew she had to find her friend. She looked over to her mother, who looked out of sorts. With unstable legs, because she wasn't use to them yet, she walked over to Cora. "Mother, I need to go after Maleficent."

Cora nodded her head, "Go."

Regina acknowledged her, "Fine, but when I return we shall talk. Just promise me you won't do anything rash."

Cora could only wave her daughter off for being too lost in her thoughts. Regina walked over to officiator and asked him to keep an eye on her mother while she goes in search of her friend. The officiator gave his consent by bowing his head. With that, a horse size black leopard escaped in the direction of her friend.

* * *

**A/N: Any guesses when I'll introduce Emma? I'll tell you what, come next chapter, I'll briefly mention her. Just don't kill me when I do. It's all part of the plot and the master plan. I'll explain a little more at the end of the next chapter.**


	5. Into the Woods

**A/N: After reading, please read the author's note at the end of the chapter for some insights to this chapter and the story.**

* * *

The art of tracking was not something that was taught to Regina when she was growing up. It was not a task a princess or a future queen needed to learn. There were skills that were needed as a female ruler, but sniffing out trails was not one. Besides her mother would probably have had a cow over the thought of her learning the trait. It was already bad enough that she learned how to ride a horse in the most masculine of ways. Of course she knew how to ride sidesaddle as well, but it wasn't nearly as fun as straddling a horse. It made her feel more in control the creature. Anything more would have given Cora a heart-attack against Regina's lack of decorum.

Suffice it to say, Regina now wished she had learned how to. Or at least those were her thoughts at the beginning of her search for Maleficent. During the first part of her mission, her mind went back to how she could have sent actual trackers to hunt down the dragon, but thought better of it. She feared for her friend's life. She didn't want anything to happen to her. Entrusting her fate in the hands of others was not something she would allow. It was up to her to find her friend.

Sticking to Maleficent's trail was not the only problem during her journey. She had to get use to her legs. Walking on all fours was new to her. Actually if she thought about it, she had started life with walking on all fours, but this was a different type of walking. At the beginning she stumbled around more often than not, but she eventually got the hang of it. She chalked it up to an instinctual element of her leopard form.

As her ability to get use to her new form became more stable, so was her search for Maleficent. She didn't know what she was looking for exactly. She would have followed a scent, but darn it all, Maleficent was a whomping gigantic dragon with wings. Seriously, she can fly leaving no trace of a scent on the ground. It aggravated Regina more than she thought it would. Again she chalked it up to her animal side, not being able to an easy hunt. It was either that or she was just frustrated that she didn't know how to follow her friend. She made a mental to learn the skills of the hunters. Her mind went to Widow Lucas, an old woman in charge of a group of werewolves in Wolf Woods and wonder if she would be willing to lend one of her finest trailers for lessons.

Her kingdom often did trade with werewolves for animal furs and leathers. They were great hunters, but they only craved animal meat. The rest of the animal was used for leathers. As for Wolf Woods, it expanded between her kingdom of Summerland and the kingdom of Winterland as a sort of kingdom itself. It was more neutral in nature and served as a place of peace. A part of the Enchanted Forest rests along the perimeter of Wolf Woods. According to quick calculations, Briar Rose was just barely over the border into Wolf Woods. It was in that direction Regina started her trek.

However, she changed her mind about half there when she picked up on the scent of sulfur, _Maleficent! _Immediately, she went off into another direction. She ran through the forest following after the scent. She didn't see any signs for a while, just the odor. It gave her courage to go on further. She had no idea how long she traveled on in the direction of the smell, but it seemed like hours. She noticed her surroundings were getting darker. Pretty soon, she felt her body start to ache with a familiar pain. She collapsed on the ground and let the change happen. It didn't last as long as she thought it would. When she was back into her human form, she felt a cold chill run up her back, but she didn't feel cold. She looked down at her naked body and noticed the only thing she had on was her golden chain. She touched it for moment before looking around.

_I'm naked again. I didn't expect this much nudity until I get married._

Her stomach growled at that moment.

_Right, I fasted all day today._

She would have looked for some berries or something to eat, but it was too dark to see. Instead she conjured up an apple turnover. While she was at it, she even poofed in a new outfit and foot wear. As she dressed and ate, a thought occurred to her. _I need to hide my face. _From the day she was born she was always told that she was the fairest in all of the land. She wouldn't lie to herself and say it didn't affect her, but it did. She knew that it did. As she thought on it, she felt a little proud of her beauty, she hated to hide it away, but she had no choice.

She conjured another apple turnover and a hooded mask, the type that executioners wore. She slipped it over her head as soon as the other turnover disappeared. Now dressed and fed, the darkness surrounded the forest. She couldn't go on any further because she lost the scent as soon as became human again. Resigned, she walked over to a nearby tree. She climbed up a few branches from the bottom and tied herself to the limb for safety. She learned this trick from Briar Rose one night as they watched the stars in the sky for an overnight trip:

_"Maleficent?" said the angelic voice of Briar Rose._

_"Hm?" the blonde asked._

_"Have you ever been in love?"_

_There was silence between the three of them. Regina's silence was due to the fact that she felt like an intruder, but that didn't stop her from eaves dropping from her spot in the tree._

_"There was never someone," she answered._

_"But?" there was worry in Briar Rose's voice._

_"There's someone now," there was definitely a smile to her voice._

_"Are you two together?"_

_There was another pause, "I would that we are close, but not together."_

_"Do you want to be?"_

_"Very much, my princess." Again there was silence until Maleficent spoke again. "Why do you want to know?"_

_"I was thinking about…" she paused. "I wanted to know what's it like to be in love."_

_"You could have just asked."_

_"Yes, but I didn't know if you have experienced it before. If I were to ask you, I would have felt foolish or I would have hurt your feelings or something. I wanted an honest answer from real experience."_

_A laugh escaped Maleficent, "All right jabber mouth, do you really want to know?"_

_"Yes, please."_

_There was an intake of breath before Maleficent went on, "It's like… there's this person, you want to be with all the time. When you're apart, you're thinking about this person every second of the day. Seeing their smile becomes the most important thing to you. You feel wonderful when you're around them and you want to be a better person. However, when the two of you touch, it's like fireworks."_

_"That sounds wonderful."_

_"It feels wonderful most of the time. Sometimes it aches knowing you're in love with them, but they might not be in love with you."_

_"I think I understand that," Briar Rose said in soft and distant voice._

_"Aren't you a little young to understand?"_

_"I might be young, but my feelings are grown up."_

_"Are you saying, you're in love with someone?" there was a hint of jealousy in Maleficent's voice._

_"Yes, but they're in love with someone else."_

_"Perhaps," Regina could image how her friend was feeling at the moment. Her heart was probably breaking, but she wanted to give the girl some hope just to make her smile. "one day, they'll return your feelings."_

_"You think so?"_

_"Yes, for who couldn't help but fall in love with you."_

Regina was awoken out of her dream by the sounds of happy little birds. She opened her eyes and beheld her world was once more being seen through black leopard vision. She sighed knowing she'll have to get used to it one day. It took a moment to catch her bearings when she noticed that she laid perfectly content on the branch she was laying on as a true leopard would. She carefully stood up and looked down on the forest floor. Sadly enough the remains of her shredded clothes was scattered about. Heaving a sigh, Regina jumped from the tree and landed on her feet. _Perhaps the saying is true about cats?"_

She sniffed the air for sulfur and found just a little trace. Not wanting to waste any more time, she ran as fast as she could in the forest.

Along the path she took, she notice some charred tree tops. In a way that only leopards could smile, Regina grinned and pressed on faster. Along the way she thought back on her dream. It was a not so distant memory of the three of them after Briar Rose's last birthday. It was a happy time, but now it looks as if happy endings weren't going to easy to achieve for anyone at the moment.

Eventually, Regina wormed her way out of the trees onto some shore of unknown great lake. Her thirst was so great that she bounded over to the water and swallowed down great mouthfuls. After she had her fill, she looked around her and spotted something she felt grateful to see. There on the ground was a sleeping Maleficent. Quietly as could be, Regina pawed her way over to her friend. She stopped right by her face and playfully licked her mouth. The gross aftertaste made her regret it.

However, it did the trick.

Maleficent stirred awake and opened her eyes to find a large black leopard looking at her. Regina registered her friend's displeasure of seeing her and the ill intent of her eyes. Quickly, before any harm would come to her, Regina opened a channel to her friend's mind. She was rather grateful to learn she still have a little magic while in leopard form.

"_It's me Regina."_

The dragon took a snootful of her smell and huffed, "_It's a shame. You would have made for a great snack._"

Regina was appalled, "_Yes, well, you tasted like rotten scramble eggs made with rancid goat's milk._"

"_Great, now I think I'll go throw up._"

Regina laughed, "_Have you eaten anything since you flew off._"

"_No, I just couldn't very well go up to a nearby farmer and ask if could I have a cow or a horse now, could I_?"

"_I see your point_." There was a pause before Regina asked, "_Are you a dragon all of the time?"_

"_Let me guess, you're not a leopard all of the time._"

Regina took Maleficent's question as a yes. "_Only during the day time, at night I become human. Oh and get this, I can no longer show my human face or at least not for another fifteen years._"

"_Oh, good luck with that_?"

Regina went to get some more water for a moment to think. "_You know I'll have to go back to the castle_?"

"_I figured as much your highness_."

The big black cat shook her head, "_Don't be like that. I'm sure there's hope for you. You remember the old woman. Things will get better_."

"_How will things get better? I'm this horrible beast. Briar Rose would…_"

"_She would love you just the same_."

"_No, she would be frightened of me. Last night I tried to use my magic to turn back to normal. I couldn't do anything_."

"_Look at me, I'm misery and you're company. I love you_."

Maleficent gave snorted smoke of laughter for a moment then stopped. "_Yes, well, you would be the only one_."

"_I'm sure if we went to Briar Rose and show her what happened to you she would understand_."

The dragon shook her head, "_I can't face Briar like this, Regina. It would kill me to see fear in her eyes. Fear that I caused. She could never love me now_."

"_You don't know that_."

"_Face it, Regina. Even if Briar could love me, it wouldn't be the same sort of love. It will forever be this. We couldn't have a normal relationship. In the end, she'll go off into the sunset with some prince, and I'll be left with a broken heart_."

Regina didn't want her friend to give up hope. She knew what the old woman said. Things will work out somehow. It's just going to have to take time. "_Can I at least tell her when I see her again? She needs to know_."

Solemnly the dragon nodded her head in consent.

"_So, do you know what you're going to do now?_"

"_Die. Oh, I don't know. I want to live for Briar, but I don't know how. I suppose I could go north to Winterland. They have a dragon refuge in the northern mountains._"

"_It sounds like a good plan. I'll come visit you every now and again." Regina studied her friend for a moment, "Do you know much about Winterland?_"

"_I know about that there's a perpetual winter up there_."

"_Anything else_?"

The dragon looked to Regina for a moment, "_What do you know of the kingdom_?"

"_Not much. Summerland never had many dealings with them in the past. It's a peaceful country, but because of the 'perpetual winter' as you put it, the other kingdoms tend to leave them alone. No one wants a wasteland_."

"_A wasteland of snow, yes, but they have the best weaponry of any of the surrounding kingdoms, but they are not a savage people as everyone else thinks_."

"_Do you know of their monarchy_?"

"_At the moment, it is ruled by a king name David. He has three sons. After the birth of his youngest, his wife, Queen Snow White died_. _That was thirteen years ago_."

"_Do you know anything about the three princes_?"

"_Sadly, no, but the tale about the Queen is a famous one_."

"_I think I heard of it. Her stepmother hated her and gave her poison apple. True love's kiss. Yada. Yada. Yada_."

"_Fine, but did know her stepmother was rumored to be your grandfather on your mother's side illegitimate oldest daughter_."

Now that was a new one. "_No, but I'll have to ask mother about that when I get back_."

"_You do that_."

"_So, when will you leave to the north_?"

"_I'll wait until night fall, but before I go, could you do me a favor_?"

"_Anything_?"

"_Could you… I have a feeling that no matter how careful, Flora and the others are, Briar will prick her figure. Could you protect her from the clutches of Rumpelstiltskin_?"

"_Of course, is there anything else_?"

"_Come inform me when she is safe and well guarded and I'll come and look over her while she sleeps_."

"_Done. Stay safe and may we meet again_."

Maleficent nodded her head and crawled into the lake to stay safe until nightfall. As soon as she was well hidden, Regina took off into the forest.

* * *

**A/N: For Snow fans, I'm sorry. She is truly dead. There is no way for her to come back.**

**Okay, I know all of you are wondering "Why is there three sons and what happened to Emma?" Just stay with me and you won't be disappointed, I promise.**

**Um... As some of you have guessed this story follows along the lines of _The Polar Bear King_. I rather like the story, but the story is rather corny. I'm trying to cut the corny out as much as possible and make the story more enjoyable like a Hallmark movie. Those movies did a version of _The Ice Queen _that lasted four hours and that's with commercials. Their version added so much more than the original version. In a sense, I'm trying to do things the Hallmark way when recreating tales. For the tale of _The Polar Bear King_, in the Winterland there were three daughters while the Summerland King was a polar bear. However, to make a OUAT version of the tale I decided to switch things up a bit to make it Regina and Emma friendly. Since Regina takes the place of the polar bear king, I had to come up two siblings for Emma in Winterland. I tried thinking about the females of the show and realized, I just couldn't do it nor could I place in any OCs, it just seemed too wrong on both accounts. Seriously, could you really see Ruby or Belle being Emma's sisters? I hope you say no. So I found it easier to pick out two brothers for Emma to have. As for Emma herself and her story, you'll have you be patience in finding out the whole three sons thing. It's all part of the plot. Don't worry about_ if_ I gender swapped Emma, but if it makes you feel any better think back to the old woman. Just to throw out the question, can anyone figure out who I chose for Emma's brothers?**


	6. On Breaking Curses

**A/N: I know it's been a little while since I last posted, it's just I've been working with Asher77 on this story. Thanks for the hard work. The last five chapters have been edited, but nothing major was added, but you can still go and read. I don't know when I'll post again but here are two chapters to tie you over until I do. Hopefully, Emma will be there when I post again. I know it's about time.**

**I had someone guess that Graham would be one of Emma's brothers and I give them a thumb up. I also had someone ask if she's going to have three brothers the answer is no, just two. **

**I'm nervous for the season finale and I hope Regina does not die. Who's with me? Maybe a should poll this question, but I can just imagine how many people would just scream at her death. I wonder how many people would stop watching the show altogether. Honestly, she can go, because she just can't. Like you can't have Clark without Lex. Although went it came to Smallville, I was a total Chloe fan. At the end of each season, I would cross my fingers in hopes she would still be in the next. I'm glad she was there to the end. I would also like to say, I wished they would have dove in deeper in the whole romantic relationship between her and Clark. Make it last a few more episodes. Now I'm just ranting.**

**My point is, you can't have Snow, Emma, or Henry without Regina. From the promo, I must say I am confused as to the out come, considering in the Paleyfest thing, it seems like Adam and Eddie were hinting at the fact that either Snow or Charming would bite it and Regina would live because she has to find someone to love because Daniel said so. Again, I'm confused.**

**In either case, on with the story. **

* * *

Night had fallen by the time Regina reached the cabin in the woods. When she changed back into her human form, she reproduced the clothes she wore yesterday and kept on treading the trail to the cabin. She knew the way by night and so she had no trouble continuing on by foot. And yet, now she stood in front of the cabin. Even though she wore a mask, she drew the hood of her cloak over her head to protect whatever space the mask failed to hid. With courage gathered she knocked on the door.

The hour was late, this she knew, but she waited knowing someone would answer the door. It wasn't long until her wait ended. The door swung open to reveal Fauna looking sleepy, but as her eyes landed on the black cladded stranger, her eyes grew huge. "Who are you?"

"It's me, Regina." Her voice was muffled by the mask, but Fauna understood what was said.

She opened the door a little while, "Why are you dressed like some highwayman?"

"It's a long story, one of which I want to tell you. Can I come in?"

"Of course," Fauna moved aside to let Regina through. The queen noticed Fauna looking outside for signs of someone else.

Sadly Regina responded, "Maleficent is not with me tonight."

"Why? What happened?"

"It's part of my tale. I know it's late and it's improper, but could you wake everyone up. I have some semi-grave news."

Just by the look on Fauna's face, Regina knew that the fairy sensed the urgency of the matter. She rushed up the stairs to wake her sister's up and young Briar Rose.

About ten to fifteen minutes later, all four were sleepily sitting around the table. Besides Fauna, Briar Rose looked the most awake. Inside the mask, Regina smiled as she studied the girl. Once sleep left her eyes, she looked around the room if searching for someone. Her eyes grew sad with disappointment.

"Where's Maleficent?" she asked.

At this time Regina wished she could show how sad she is at the news she brings and to show how truly sorry she felt, but alas she must show it through her voice. Instead, she held out her hands to Briar Rose and took one of the girl's smaller ones in hers. "I want to begin by telling you that none of this is your fault. Maleficent and I would do the same thing again and again if it meant keeping you alive."

"What happened?" asked the girl, whose eyes showed much worry.

It clenched at Regina's heart. "At my coronation, Rumpelstiltskin showed up. He somehow managed to figure out how his original curse no longer affected you as it once did and came after Maleficent and me."

Briar Rose's face contorted in horror as her mind jumped to the conclusion of what might have happened to her friend, "Is she… is she dead?"

Regina shook her head, "No, but that may have been a blessing."

"A blessing?!" screeched Briar Rose as she removed her hand from Regina's. "How can you say something like that about your friend? Death can never be a blessing on anyone."

"Briar Rose, she is cursed."

"So, curses can be broken or changed. Did she even try?"

"She did, but the curse that she has had taken away her ability to use magic. I would have tried something myself, but my magic is not as strong as hers."

"Then what happened?" she asked in a small voice. "Why can't I see my dear friend?"

Regina gulped, "Rumpelstiltskin had turned her into a dragon?"

A collected gasp escaped everyone in the room along with quite murmurs. Briar Rose's face fell as if someone died. "No, no, Maleficent can't be a dragon?"

"But she is, I'm sorry."

"I don't care," Briar Rose suddenly exclaimed. "I don't care if she's a dragon. I want to see her."

This bit of the news was going to be hard for the girl to hear, but Regina knew that she must, "She left to live on the dragon refuge in Winterland."

The girl's small frame sunk into her chair as tears feel from her face, "Without saying good-bye."

"It would have been hard on the both of you."

"She's a coward, that's what she is," declared Merryweather. "She should have come and faced Briar Rose."

Her thoughts were backed up by her other sisters, who hated seeing their charge being so heartbroken.

Regina breathed, "She should have, but she didn't. It's not safe for her here, but even so she did tell me to keep a watch over you and keep you away from Rumpelstiltskin as best as I can and secure your safety if ever you fall under the sleeping curse, she'll come back."

"But how is she ever going to break the curse if she is a dragon?" Briar Rose asked.

Flora shot out of her seat and knelt down to face her charge, "Briar Rose, do you understand what you're saying?"

"Yes, I'm saying I'm in love with Maleficent."

Flora kissed the top of the blonde's forehead, "Sweetie, you're too young to know what that means."

"Maleficent explained to me what being in love feels like and I feel those things for her. I need her. If she would have come to me, I would have given her a kiss. Maybe it would have broken the curse on her."

Now that she thought about it, Regina could only hope for it to happen. She wondered if there's a true love out there, who could break the curse before fifteen years were up. Then she wondered if she could ever find someone, who could love her like she is, someone, who could be patient with her until the curse wore off or whatever. Deep in her heart, she hoped there was.

She was blasted out of her thoughts by Merryweather's voice, "Briar Rose, it's brave that you might kiss a dragon, but what if Maleficent have the same feelings for you. She is older than you and watched you grow up, she might view you as a little sister."

More tears came to Briar Rose's eyes. Regina could imagine her thinking that she was tired of being told that she was too young or she didn't know any better. "Briar Rose," she said softly, "Don't lose faith in your love for her. Maybe this time a part can strengthen your love for her and test whether it's true. If it's true love anything is possible. You just have to believe."

"Do you?" she asked.

"For you and Maleficent, I believe, but for myself, I don't think I have a true love out there."

Briar Rose wiped the tears off her face and gave a little smile, "One day you'll find them."

Regina merely smiled, but no one could see it, "Thank-you for the vote of confidence."

"So what happened to you?"

For the next hour Regina went on to explain her predicament and how she was slowly starting to get use to her new animal form. At the end of her tale, the three fairies asked Regina to stay the night with them. She agreed because of late hour of the night. The fairies offered to make up a bed for her, but she declined to just sleep on a bedroll on the hard floor knowing by morning she would need the space the room downstairs gave. Wishing of pleasant dreams were given by all before everyone went back to sleep.

SLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSL

In the morning, Regina woke up to the pleasant smell of cooking food. She looked up from her spot on the ground and noticed that the fairies were making breakfast or at least brunch, she was not sure what the time of day was. Being mindful of her surroundings, Regina sat up on her hind legs to test out space of the room. Feeling a little confident, she spoke, "What are you making?"

All there women turn towards her in surprise.

Flora giggled a little, "For being a leopard, you have such a pleasant voice."

"Thank-you." She tentatively stood up and walked a few feet over to the table. On the table were pancakes, eggs, fruits, and nuts. It looked good to her human mind, but to the animal side of her, she wanted meat. "I think I shall be going. Would you mind opening the door for me?"

"Not at all," said Flora as she walked over the door.

As soon as the door opened, Regina gingerly maneuvered her way out the door. Once outside, she stretched her sore muscles out while hearing the sounds of the front door closing. She look back to see Flora outside. "Did you wish to speak me?"

"I do," she said.

"It's about Briar Rose isn't it?" asked Regina as she sat on her hind legs.

The fairy ran her fingers through her hair, "Yes. It's just I'm worried about her. Last night when she finally confirmed her crush on Maleficent… She's just too young to understand what love is."

Regina just waited for a moment before asking, "Do you not want them together?"

Flora puckered her lips to the side as if debating her next words, "I don't know. I'm just worried. The power of True Love can be rather unpredictable. You know the story of Snow White?"

"Some of the important parts, I suppose, but her tale was before my time."

The red clad fairy nodded her head, "Yes, well she was a part of my time. After being cast out to live with seven dwarves, she was given an apple to put her to sleep. At the time, she had never met with David at all. He came upon her sleeping in a glass coffin. It was love at first sight for him. He kissed her awake, and they married soon afterwards. Of course, they had a little courtship before to make sure about the binding of True Love's kiss."

"There's a binding?"

"A little. True Love can come in many forms. It could be a love between lovers or it could be a love between family members or it could be a love between just friends. If a curse is broken by True Love's kiss, it binds one person to another because of mutual affections or the possibility of mutual affections like in the case of Snow White. However mutual the affections are, they have to discover what type of bond had form between each other. Especially in cases where the two people had no relation to each other before hand."

Regina thought on this for a second before asking, "I sort of kissed Maleficent like a cat, but she didn't change back."

Flora shook her head, "First off, you would have been in your human form and second, your affections for each other would not be strong enough. For Maleficent's curse to break, I assume Rumpelstiltskin would have made it to where there had to be a declaration of love spoken between the two before the one in human form kisses the cursed one. My point being, familiar then friendly bonds don't count because of being the two weakest forms of True Love. These bonds don't always work unless there's some sort redemption or understanding that occurs between the two."

"Okay, stop," Regina interrupted Flora, "I think I can understand your worry. For Briar Rose's curse to be lifted off of her it must be due the most powerful form of true love there is. I'm talking about the bond between lovers."

With an eager nod, Flora agreed. "That's the strongest form of true love. I know how fond Maleficent is of Briar Rose and I know how enamored Briar Rose is of Maleficent, but if Briar Rose really did kiss Maleficent in her dragon form and if it didn't work, it would hurt them both. Briar Rose would give up on love thus making it impossible for her own curse to break if she falls under it."

Regina rose onto her hind legs, "You three don't think that the love shared between Briar Rose and Maleficent is true enough?"

Sadly, the red clad fairy nodded her head, "This time apart from Maleficent might be good thing for Briar Rose. It might help her adjust to a life without your friend and perhaps open her heart to another. Besides, if Maleficent truly loved Briar Rose, she would have come and seen her. She just left too easily."

Regina just huffed, but didn't elaborate on it. "Whatever the case maybe, I hope you're wrong." She turned her back on the fairy, "I would stay and argue more, but I must be off. Thank-you for the lodging and tell Briar Rose, keep her chin up." With swiftness in her legs, she took off towards her home.


	7. Another Goodbye

Upon coming to her castle, Regina grew a little wary of what awaited her. A part of her feared that she would not be welcomed because of her animal form despite the pledges she gained from the day of her coronation. However, there was a deeper fear in her, one that she didn't want to think about, but one she still had to. She feared that while she's been away from the castle for the last two days, that perhaps her mother had taken her place on the throne. It was never a worry for her before, but the way Cora acted at the coronation when Rumpelstiltskin showed up and the talk of marriage for the good of the kingdom the night before, made her questioned things.

_First week as queen, I already have to worry about a coup, just something more to add to my increasing plate of hard knocks._

At that thought, she realized how important companionship is. She figured that if she had someone beside her to support her with the oncoming problems, then she could face anything. As it was, her lady-in-waiting was a dragon and her mother might be danger to her crown and people. She never felt so alone than at that moment.

No matter the fears she had, some were put to rest as soon as one of her guards recognized her and allowed her to pass within the confines of the castle walls. So far so good. Now the tricky thing she must face is trying to get inside the castle and maneuver her way around the corridors due to her large size. Just at a passing thought, she wondered about her throne itself. She felt a little sad, that she couldn't use it at the moment.

_Mental note, contact Gepetto and asked him to design me a leopard friendly throne._

She walked towards the main gates of the castle where another set of guards stood. There was a brief and silent staring contest of debate before, the guards opened the doors for her. She gave each guard a nod in return and walked in. The space of the inside seemed smaller than what she was used to, but she deemed it manageable. She walked on towards the stairs and hating every minute of it. She didn't like walking on bare stone floors with the way her feet are. It just felt wrong. Walking on dirt and grass was much more enjoyable. She could install carpet or something for her feet, but would the small fortune on comfort be worth it when there was a possibility her people would starve.

_It's bad enough if I have to get a new throne, but to add carpet…As queen sacrifices must be made or I could just use the money I would have used on clothes to purchase a rug or two along the way. _

There was a small fund available for dresses for royal occasions, but since she no longer required clothes most of the time, she no longer needed the fund.

_Oh thank the stars, I no longer have to stand around for countless of hours for seamstresses try to take my measurements. More free time. There's always a silver lining in every terrible situation._

While in her wonderings, she spotted a servant girl swiping up the stairs. Regina paused by them, not knowing how to proceed on. She could tackle the stairs, but she feared that her paws were just too big to accommodate them. Giving up, her hind legs went to the bottom of the stairs. She sat up immediately from how cold it was. Her leopard eyes glared at the cold floor before tempting to sit down again.

"Girl!" she rumbled as nicely as possible towards the servant with the intention of not startling her.

Luckily, it worked somewhat. She was still startled but not by much. The stopped her actions and looked over to come face to face with the biggest black cat she had ever seen. "Not to be rude your majesty," she said after a moment making Regina relieved that she didn't have to explain herself to the young woman. "But with you be what you are now, no rat or mice stands a chance against you."

Regina couldn't help but laugh at this in whatever way a leopard could laugh, "Thank-you, Miss Gretel. You weren't rude at all. If fact I had not even given the thought on my role as a member of the cat family yet."

Gretel merely smiled that she could humor her queen. "Is there any way I can be of service to you, your majesty?"

"Yes, could you go and inform my mother that I have arrived home and that I wish to speak to her in the council chambers."

She bowed towards Regina and left for her task.

Regina smiled after the girl as she walked off in the direction of the council chambers. Regina remembered the first time she met up with Gretel and her brother Hans. They were just returning from an escape from a children eating witch. She shivered at the thought. Witches eating children was viewed by most witches as just plain wrong. A witch who ate other humans usually means that the witch had preformed some sort of forbidden spell or curse. Those things were forbidden for a reason. Even the most evil of witches never used them because it poisoned the mind in some manner. It would almost be like the person was drunk all of the time. Their actions were not quite ever their own afterwards. However, not all drunks acted the same way so it's hard to understand the concept of what would happen. Most evil witches don't like the idea of being out of control because they only crave to be in control or be left alone. Or so said Merryweather.

Regina cleared her mind from her previous magic lessons and thought once again on Gretel and Hans. She had met them in one of her many journeys through the Enchanted Forest with Maleficent. She heard their horrific tale from the beginning and promised to help them find their father. It took them two weeks, but they found him. Seeing as the family was poor, Regina had hired the father to work for her and allowed for the family to live in the castle. They accepted. Now Gretel was sweeper and her brother became a page.

_Perhaps now that Maleficent is gone, I'll make Gretel my new lady-in-waiting. For such a commoner, she has a noble and brave heart._

During the course of her thoughts and her pacing the length of the council room, the doors opened. Turning her head towards the noise, she saw her mother standing there. She looked a little worse for wear, but Regina didn't know if it was an act or not.

Once Cora was in all the way, the doors closed behind her. Regina stalked towards her and sat on the floor with a sigh, "Mother, how do you begin a conversation that you don't know how to begin?"

"Usually with a question or just coming out with your thoughts," she replied as she made her way over to the conference table for a seat.

Regina followed after, "I understand that, but how do you just come out and ask a person if they're trying to usurp power?"

"Are you assuming that I would want take over Summerland?" she asked indignant.

Regina laughed humorlessly, "I just find it odd that upon the day of my coronation that the man you love decided to curse me to be like this." If she had hands she would have gestured down the length of body and up again a few times in frustration.

"I had nothing to do with that, he came to _you_ in regards of _you_ messing with one of his curses. This is your fault for putting your nose where it did not belong. You brought this on to yourself."

Frustrated, Regina found that she couldn't argue that point. She knew that her involvement with Briar Rose had caused her to be turned into a Leopard, but she still couldn't trust her mother at the moment. "Fine, I agree, but I am not the one that ruined his curse. He could have just cursed Maleficent and be done with it, but no, he had to curse me alongside with her. Tell me mother what to make of that."

There was no response. Inside Regina smirked at knowing she one upped her mother, but deeper still, she hated what that implicated with their mother/daughter dynamic. She also hated that her mother might still be after the throne. The silence didn't last long.

"Regina, I told you before I have not seen him since he went off to get married. I also had no knowledge of him being the Dark One. It baffles me to wonder how he even became the Dark One considering how sweet his heart once was. The man I saw that night was not the same man I fell in love with."

If she had the ability to purse her lips, Regina would have. "Yes, but there's a problem."

"And problem is that?" Cora spat.

"Mother, when Rumpelstiltskin appeared you practically did nothing."

"I was trying to find out if the man I love still resides behind those crazy cold eyes."

Regina gave a sigh of distress, "And that's what the problem is. Whatever feelings you have for him could prove problematic in the future. He knows you have a weakness for him and he could use that against us. In a worst case scenario, he could come to you being all sweet and kind. While on the other hand, you would try to find the good in him and try to bring him it out of him through True Love's kiss."

"You're worried that my feelings for him would cloud my good judgment?"

"Exactly, do you know how hard that is knowing you could be a threat. You may not have staged any type of coup, but your feelings are problematic."

"Then the only solution I have is to magically remove my heart," Cora suggested.

A horrified face fell on Regina's face, "You can't be serious? That's even more dangerous. If he found your heart, he could control you." She stopped in her rant for a moment as she realized something and gasped, "You know magic?"

Cora didn't back away from the knowledge nor denied it, "Yes, my older half-sister was born from a witch, who knew both good and dark magic, but that didn't mean she practiced both. She and I were pretty close. She taught me magic. I kept my abilities secret from most people. Henry knew, but he never took advantage of it unless it involved good crops or straw turned into gold, even then he would have left it in my care. He was a firm believer that most things are better bought with hard work. He never asked me to hide it either. He respected my magic as much as he respected me."

Regina stood up from her position on the floor and began to pace, she wanted to find out more about her aunt. She knew very little of her. The only piece of information she did know that she disappeared some time before she was born. However, she didn't know if she had the time now. She had to think about what to do with her mother. Being torn was hard for her. She didn't want her mother to go, but her mother couldn't stay either. That's when something hit her.

She turned back to her mother and got into her face. In a as much of a hush voice as possible, she said, "Do you remember our readings?"

Cora nodded her head and made a face as one who was looking back on a memory. It was then she realized what must be done. "I have to leave you, don't I?"

"As much as I want you to stay, you are threat to me and this kingdom. You need time to work out your feelings." She wanted to add loyalties but knew that wouldn't happen.

"And what shall I do in the mean time?" Cora asked.

"That's up to you," Regina said, "but you need to make sure you stay safe and away from Rumpelstiltskin as much as possible."

Cora nodded in consent and stood up to make her preparations.

However, before went to the door Regina called out to her, "Mother, I have a request from you before you go."

The older woman turned back to her daughter, "What is it?"

"Could you write down what history of your sister you know?"

"Of course," Cora said.


End file.
